hot under the collar
Angry; agitated.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He gets hot under the collar when he loses at games.”
“The customer became hot under the collar after waiting an hour for his food.”
“The politician grew visibly hot under the collar as the journalist pressed him for details regarding the scandal.”
- 01
baking hot
Very hot.
- 02
blow hot air
To engage in empty or exaggerated talk that lacks substance, credibility, or truth; to bluster.
- 03
blow hot and cold
To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.
- 04
boiling hot
Extremely hot (having a high temperature: of an object, the weather, a living creature).
- 05
change collars
To change or shift one's career path.
- 06
come in hot
To enter the scene of conflict quickly and aggressively.
- 07
feel someone's collar
To arrest someone.
- 08
full of hot air
Talking a lot, especially without saying anything of value or meaning.
Last updated August 10, 2026